Transcript WHICh12Sec3-History of Feudal Japan-2015

History of Japan
Geography
• Consists of many islands
• 4 main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu,
Shikoku, Kyushu
Geography, cont.
• ¾ of Japan is covered with mountains
• Weather is cool/cold in the north, warm/hot
in the south
• Plenty of rain and sunshine
• Frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and
typhoons
VERY EARLY JAPAN
• About 10,000BC, people from Asia settled
in Japan, and lived by hunting, gathering
and fishing
• Ainu were among the early people of
Japan; lived in Northern Japan; were
ethnically different
VERY EARLY JAPAN, cont.
• 100BC-rice farming & metal working came to
Japan from Korea
• Until about 300AD, there was no central
government, and people lived in uji –clans which
controlled their on territory
• In 300AD, the Yamato clan became dominant
and the Yamato clan chief was the Emperor of
Japan, said to be descended from Amaterasu,
the sun goddess
SHINTO RELIGION
• Shinto means “Way of the Kami”
• Kami – nature spirits that lived in natural
objects
• Most clans had a special protective Kami
• Shinto involves
– prayer & rituals to please the Kami
– reverence for nature
– cleanliness
ABOUT: 500AD-800AD
• About 552AD: Buddhism brought to Japan by
Korean missionaries
• Buddhist missionaries also brought Chinese
writing, which the Japanese called Kanji
• About 600AD: Prince Shotoku
– Promoted Chinese ideas, Buddhism, Confucianism
– Wrote the Constitution of 17 Articles for Japan
– Started sending delegations of young Japanese
noblemen to study in China
About 500AD-800AD
• 710AD: Built the capital at Nara
• Japanese began to copy Chinese style in
many aspects of life in every possible way:
food, architecture, flower arranging, etc.
• They never adopted the idea of a Civil
Service Exam. Government positions were
limited to the nobility. They never adopted
foot binding.
Changes about 800AD-Transition into
the Heian Period
*Built a new capital at Heian-Kyo
– Began to turn away from following the
Chinese model in culture
– Stopped sending delegations of young
men to study in China
– Developed “kana”, a simpler form of writing
in which symbols represented syllables of
spoken Japanese. Actually, 2 separate
forms of kana were developed:
• Hiragana-also called “women’s writing”
• Katakana
– Men continued to write mostly in Kanji,
women used kana, especially “hiragana”
Heian Period: about 800AD1200AD
• Capital at Heian-Kyo
• Nobles had an elaborate court life at Heian
–Kyo, where elaborate etiquette
determined every action in life
• Noblemen continued to write in Kanji, but
Noble women used Kana, especially the
type called “hiragana”.
Heian Court Dress
Heian period: about 800AD-1200AD:
women writers
• Many noble women wrote “Court Diaries”
• Lady Sei Shonagon wrote the “Pillow
Book”, a collection of anecdotes about
court life
• Lady Murasaki wrote “Tale of Genji”, the
world’s first novel
The Pillow Book
by Sei Shonagon (diary)
The Tale of Genji by Lady
Murasaki
Heian Period: about 800AD-1200AD-political developments
• The Emperors gradually became more
interested in luxury than in actually ruling
• The Fujiwara clan took over much of the real
power and ruled in the Emperor’s name
• Usually, a daughter of the Fugiwara married the
emperor
• The Emperors continued to be held in honor and
performed important Shinto rituals
End of the Heian Period- Beginning the
beginning of the Feudal Period
• Late 1100’s- The
Fujiwara family dropped
out of power, and there
was a civil war between
2 powerful families, the
Taira and the Minamoto.
• 1185: the Minamoto clan
won the civil war
• 1192, the Emperor
granted Minamoto
Yoritomo (head of the
clan) the title “Shogun”!
This was a turning point!
JAPANESE FEUDALISM
• Emperor kept his throne, but the Shogun
was the real ruler, in control of the military,
finances, and laws
• The Emperor’s court continued in HeianKyo (Kyoto), and the Shogun set up a
separate capital at Kamakura.
• 1192-1331: The Minamoto clan held the
Shogunate
MONGOL INVASION ATTEMPTS
• The Mongols under
Kublai Khan tried twice to
invade
• 1274-Mongol fleet didn’t’
even land. It was blown
away by a typhoon
• 1281-Mongols landed
and fought the assembled
Samurai for several
weeks. Then their fleet
was again blown away by
a typhoon, called the
“Kamikaze”, the sacred
wind.
Japan-Middle Ages – Feudal Period,
cont.
• 1192-1331, the Minamoto clan held the
Shogunate
• In 1331,the Emperor briefly tried and failed to
regain control
• 1333-1568, the Ashikaga clan held the
Shogunate
• Increasingly throughout this period, the nobles
became more independent, and warfare
between Daimyo became frequent.
Japan-Middle Ages- Feudal Period
Daimyo
•
•
•
•
•
Feudal lords of Japan
Fought frequent wars against each other
Hired Samurai to fight
Taxed the peasants
Had Japanese-styled castles
SAMURAI
Similar (in some ways) to European Knights
* Samurai – refers to the warriors
themselves, and to the social class of the
warriors. Means “those who serve”.
* Followed a code of ethics – Bushido
(similar to Chivalry)
* Extreme loyalty to lord (Daimyo) & Clan
* Brave & fearless of death
* Most important weapon was a sword called
a katana, that was regarded as the “soul” of
a Samurai. He also carried a smaller sword
or dagger (called a wakizashi or tanto) with
which to commit seppuku, if necessary.
*
SAMURAI, cont
I If defeated or dishonored, he committed
seppuku-ritual suicide by cutting his
abdomen and disemboweling himself
* Also expected to be able to write poetry
& perform tea ceremony
* Often practiced Zen Buddhism, which
emphasized self-discipline through
meditation and fighting by instinct, rather
than by thought
SEPPUKU-ritual suicide of a
Samurai
st
Tametomo-1
Minamoto
Seppuku
• Minamoto Tametomo was a member of
the Minamoto clan who lived in the
1100sAD. He fought in the Civil War
between the Minamoto and the Taira clan.
st
Tametomo-1
Minamoto
Seppuku
• Tametomo is known in the epic chronicles
as a powerful archer and it is said that he
once sunk an entire Taira ship with a
single arrow by puncturing its hull below
the waterline. It is also added in many
legends that his left arm was about 6 in.
longer than his right, enabling a longer
draw of the arrow, and more powerful
shots.
st
Tametomo-1
Minamoto
Seppuku
• In 1170, as the conflict between the Minamoto
and Taira continued, Tametomo became
surrounded by enemy Taira warriors on a small
island. In some legends, it is said that Taira cut
the tendons of Tametomo's left arm. Thinking
that he wouldn't be able to fight anymore, he
killed himself by slicing his abdomen, or
committing seppuku. He is quite possibly the first
warrior to commit seppuku in the chronicles.
Samurai attire
Samurai Charging
European Armor
Samurai Armor
Modern Day Samurai
JAPANESE RELIGION
• Sects of Buddhism
came from China
– Pure Land Buddhism
stressed salvation
through faith in Buddha
– Zen stressed salvation
through enlightenment
gained through
meditation
• Most people followed
Shinto, Buddhism &
Confucianism. Every
home had a shrine
which combined these
religious practices
PEASANTS
• Most people farmed
or fished
• Rice and fish were
the most important
foods
• Lived simple lives
and worked very
hard
• Farming required
extremely hard
work because land
was very limited
Family and Women
• Family was the center of life, and was more
important than the individual; a disgrace to
one was a disgrace to all.
• Oldest male was the head of the family &
made all important decisions & was obeyed
by all
• When a woman married, she
became part of her husband’s
family and obeyed her husband
and his parents
• Women were regarded as
objects of beauty, but were
expected to endure hardships
and peasant women were
expected to work very hard
• They sometimes committed
seppuku along with their
husbands by opening the veins
on their necks.
• Japanese never adopted the
Chinese custom of footbinding
OTHER FORMS OF CULTURE
• Landscape gardening featured gardens which looked
natural but took great care. Usually had rocks & running
water.
• Zen gardens had a few rocks and sand raked in patterns
• Tea ceremony-very complex, elaborate ceremony
– Goal-to produce spiritual calm
– Every move was set; took several hours;
– Involving looking at nature and preparing and drinking tea.
• Noh drama in which men performed in a highly stylized
dance-drama, often with a historical theme
Noh Theatre
Zen Garden
Tea Ceremony